Impact of improved indigenous chicken breeds on productivity. The case of smallholder farmers in Makueni and Kakamega counties, Kenya

Indigenous chicken (IC) contributes significantly to the socio-economic development and nutritional requirements of rural and peri-urban households. Therefore, focusing on IC productivity remains crucial. Despite the IC potential, unimproved breeds are usually constrained by slow growth and maturity...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cogent food & agriculture 2018, Vol.4 (1), p.1477232
Main Authors: Kamau, Christopher N., Kabuage, Lucy W., Bett, Eric K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adoption
Agricultural policy
Agricultural production
Chickens
Econometrics
Economic development
Egg production
Farming
Farms
Households
impact
improved indigenous chicken
Livestock
Nutritional requirements
Policies
Poultry production
Productivity
propensity score matching
Random sampling
Small farms
Statistical sampling
training
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Indigenous chicken (IC) contributes significantly to the socio-economic development and nutritional requirements of rural and peri-urban households. Therefore, focusing on IC productivity remains crucial. Despite the IC potential, unimproved breeds are usually constrained by slow growth and maturity rate leading to low productivity. As an appropriate strategy to improve productivity, improved IC have been disseminated to smallholder IC farmers in Kenya. However, information on impact of improved IC breeds remained scanty thus necessitating this study. A total of 384 households were sampled using stratified random sampling procedure in Kakamega and Makueni. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Secondary data were accessed from Makueni and Kakamega livestock offices. Propensity score matching (PSM) econometric model was employed using STATA 13. Results from PSM estimates showed that the average egg production/hen/year of adopters was greater than for non-adopters. Education level, group membership, distance to the training point and non-farm activities positively and significantly influenced the impact of improved IC. On the other hand, gender of the household head negatively and significantly influenced adoption decision. Policies should target strengthening the IC farmer's access to frequent extension services. Moreover, formation of farmers groups is fundamental in enhancing information sharing on improved IC breeds. Further, policies should target more women in poultry production by developing programs in their favor.
ISSN:2331-1932
2331-1932
DOI:10.1080/23311932.2018.1477231